Curated OER
Scenario challenge
Fifth graders become familiar with the geography of New Hampshire and the importance of specific sites in history. In this New Hampshire lesson, 5th graders create a brochure including points of interest and showing distances...
Curated OER
It's Just a Barn
Investigate Pennsylvania Barns. Have your class consider the elements common to Pennsylvanian barns and why they are significant to the food production process. They write summaries of Frederick Watts and his impact on agriculture.
Curated OER
You Are What You Eat: Lessons from Alice Waters
Students view the AMERICAN MASTERS episode titled ALICE WATERS AND HER DELICIOUS REVOLUTION. They examine their own eating habits and determine how they can eat food that is both healthier and tastier. Through Guided Reading strategies,...
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Seven Famous African-American Masters of American Art
Students examine seven different African-American artists. In groups, they use the internet to identify their contribution and techniques to the art world and examine the time period in which the artwork was produced. To end the...
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Who Are the Aliens in Our Inland Seas?
Students work in teams to research specific landforms in Great Lakes Watershed, compile information into data table, and write legend explaining landform for children's book. Students then research area surrounding landform, compile...
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Martin Luther King Jr.: From Civil Rights to Human Rights
Learners read essays and participate in a discussion that examines Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s stance on both civil rights and the broader issue of human rights. They conduct research about King's life and work, analyze quotes from his...
National First Ladies' Library
Fashion Trends in the 1960s: Hippies, Flower Children, and Design
Middle schoolers use the Internet to research and examine clothing styles of 1960s, draw pictures of various clothing and accessories popular in that decade, trace images on top of foil tray or pan to design a stamp, and make...
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Breaking the Chains, Rising Out of Circumstances
Students research slavery in ancient Rome and compare and contrast it to slavery in the United States. In this slavery lesson plan, students investigate the differences of slavery in different parts of the country, write a paper to...
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Evidence of Climate Change
Sixth graders examine climate change in the state of Colorado. For this climate lesson, 6th graders watch 2 video clips regarding the topic and research the subtopics- snow pack, precipitation, temperature, forest fires, river flow,...
National First Ladies' Library
Safety or Civil Liberty? The Trial of Sacco and Vanzet
Students investigate the Sacco-Vanzetti trial and develop a basic understanding of the issues involved. Then they write an essay taking a stance on the Sacco-Vanzetti trial: was the trial fair? were the two men falsely accused? Finally,...
Curated OER
George Washington - A Graphic Novel
Students write and illustrate their own graphic novels. In this George Washington lesson plan, students collaborate to research Washington's life as surveyor, his involvement in the French and Indian War as well as the American...
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Tobacco and Organisms
Young scholars work in teams to design and carry out experiments which show the effects of tobacco / nicotine on organisms. They write reports which are submitted to "The Company" and prepare oral reports which are presented to the class.
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Coral Bleaching: Making Our Oceans Whiter
Students study coral reefs and the controversy over coral bleaching. They role-play a debate over the issue and come up with a compromise to protect the reefs and the economies that depend on them.
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The Physiological and Psychological Development of the Adolescent
Middle schoolers examine the life of a teenager from their own perspective and an adult's. In groups, they focus on the biological changes and how they are different in a girl and a boy. Individually, they write a paper about these...
Curated OER
The Value of a Nation's Currency Goes Beyond its Price
Sixth graders understand the meaning of pictures and words on currency. In this currency lesson, 6th graders examine currency to find cultural relationships with a country. Students locate symbols of the country on the currency. Students...
Curated OER
Physics "24"
Students construct a model house or school. For this physics lesson, students research about who wind up clocks work and write an essay about it. They determine the center of gravity of different objects.
Curated OER
What on Earth is a Biome?
Learners explore organisms and their environments. They examine change over time
demonstrate an understanding of physical positions on Earth. They survey earth's diversity, write a report, fill in a data table created on the...
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Global Water Crisis
Students research a given nation and complete an activity chart for that country. In this water crisis lesson students work in groups to organize and present the information for their given country.
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Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Lesson: Immigration
Many of your class members will have heard of Executive Order 9066 and the Japanese internment camps of World War II. Some may even recognize the terms “Issei” and “Nisei,” but few will have heard of Enemy Alien Hearing Boards, of the...
Curated OER
Pieces of Peace
Students study the artwork of Keith Haring and create an original artwork in his style. In this symbiotics lesson, watch a video about the artwork of Keith Haring and create an artwork to deliver a message.
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Rivers
Students examine how rivers are used in our modern world. They create and analyze a large class mural of a river illustrating the ways rivers are used by people and wildlife, and write an essay on how rivers should be used and why.
Curated OER
The Woman Who Slept for Thirty Years
Students are given a bit of information, but must share their information with other students in order to learn enough to solve the puzzle. When students have all the clues, they construct a theory to explain the facts. The teacher adds...
Curated OER
Which Amusement Park Would You Choose?
Young scholars analyze data related to amusement parks and create a spreadsheet to display the data. They read the data and predict which amusement park they think is safer, create a spreadsheet and graph, and write a proposal based on...
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Getting Inside The Outsiders Through Music
Young scholars listen to popular music of the 50's and 60's to make literature connections to The Outsiders. In this popular culture lesson, students evaluate and analyze various songs and connect them with the themes in the literature...